The applicant is aware of handles used with hammers, which are made of an elastomeric material reinforced with steel rods or steel bars. In one form of handle the reinforcing consists of six spaced rods which are circular in cross-section. A problem with this type of handle is that it does not effectively resist torsional and bending forces during use. This leads to the breakdown and failure of the bond between the elastomeric material and the reinforcing rods in the handle resulting in the head of the hammer wandering from the striking plane, and rendering the hammer useless. With another form of handle the reinforcing takes the form of two parallel strips of metal which are located in the handle material with their plane direction lying in the strike direction of the hammer head. A problem with this handle is that the reinforcing strips become fatigued to failure by the bending moments imposed on them adjacent to the hammer head in their plane direction after prolonged use.